What May Come
by lilykane
Summary: Accepting fate with a smile, inspite of how cruel it was.


~Disclaimer: Tekken is so Namco's. Geez, you'd think they made it or something. Anyone that takes offense to this story obviously hasn't read anything else I've written. Uh, GO LAKERS!~

What May Come

With one final thrust, Jin paused painfully until his entire body released itself with his orgasm, and he fell panting onto his lover. They were laying on what felt like the edge of the world, and being in a foreign land had added to the initial excitement of their lovemaking, though still not completely taking away from the sense of urgency and desperation that had sparked it all. The covers on the bed that he and she were stretched out on had be been completely thrown off during the frantic, last minute session, but neither one of them noticed that as they lay in each other's arms that evening. Outside of inn's windows, the sounds of birds began to fade away as the sun sank deeper into the forested horizon, and its crimson light slowly melted into a gentle violet. Their breathing slowed in unison and they waited for morning, enjoying the temporary isolation.

"You're not dying," Julia murmured softly as she rested her head on Jin's bare chest. The older boy wrapped an arm around her and hugged her, his gaze forward as his body finally relaxed. 

"I never said I was," he said, still looking up at the ceiling; it was an ornate ceiling with bold, geometric designs that were curved into the wood above them. "I'm just saying goodbye." Jin stroked the younger girl's hair and rocked her gently. He closed his eyes. He had gotten used to farewells, and over the years, it had almost became something expected and ordinary for the young man after the night he lost his mother, the only family he had known. 

The year's first snow had fallen that evening, and the young boy sat with his mother in their home, expertly and efficiently folding the tops down of boxes and sealing them with packaging tape in spite of how large and awkward looking his hands were then; the cruelty of puberty. By then, the house was bare, nothing on the walls and no furniture. The tall stacks of cardboard boxes, each carefully marked of its contents and taped shut securely surrounded them.

"I think...you'll like America," she had murmured to her son as she packed the last of his belongings carefully and neatly into a suitcase. 

He refused to respond or look up at his mother. Jun, however, would watch him as she packed, occasionally glancing over at the window to watch the large, sticky snowflakes fall silently. 

They lived near the military bases in Okinawa, and the streets were filled with many different kinds of people from so many different places. The boy loved the variety. Most of his life, he had been home schooled due to constant moving, and because of that, he was painfully shy. However, he made friends easily with the other children around there the few years he had lived there, other kids that had spent most of their lives living from out of a suitcase and cardboard boxes. Now, however, he had to leave that all behind again.

The woman began again, "I have so many fond memories from there." Jin kept his head down and continue to pack and tape boxes shut. His mother frowned lightly to herself and went on, "I want the same for you, Jin." Jun smiled weakly and looked over at the window again. The snow had started to thicken up and was swirling outside the wind, and the whisperings of the wind could be heard. 

"Fond memories? Is that why you left?" The boy chuckled cynically before he lifted his head and waited for his mother to respond, which she did with a heavy sigh. Jun looked over at the window again and was silent. 

"It doesn't snow where I was I born," she finally said in a quiet voice, almost remorsefully. The woman stood up and stretched. She then smiled down at her son and and stroked his head lovingly. She then sat down behind him, still running her fingers through his already messy hair.

"Is my father in America?" Jin asked as he stopped packing. The young boy laid back on his mother's bosom and listened. The only sounds that he could hear was the faint whistling of the winter wind and his mother's heartbeat. He closed his eyes and waited, though he dimly knew she would never tell him about his father. 

In the silence, Jin's anger towards his mother lessened as she rocked him like she had when he was just a small child. He almost expected her to start singing her lullabies as she held him. Songs that he barely remembered about the moon and the stars, about the rivers and the sky.

"He's gone, Jin," she whispered.

"Who?" the boy asked, eyes still squeezed shut.

"Your father. He's gone."

It was more than he had expect his mother to say, yet he kept his eyes closed. He was enjoying the attention he was receiving at the moment, the wordless tenderness that his mother showed as she pressed her son closer to her and continued to rock and hold him.

"You have his smile," she said, her voice trailing off. "I...I hated his smile." He opened his eyes and glanced up at Jun; her face was stoney and she looked forward at the window. The falling snow was being luminated softly against the black sky by the rosy street lights outside. Jin let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes again.

"I know, he didn't mean the things he did or said. He couldn't help it," she began again, her gaze still forward. "But it was that smile that made it so painful."

He wanted to ask his mother what she meant, but he remained silent and shifted to his side to lay against her in a more comfortable fashion. The boy wrapped his arms around his mother and let out a heavy huff. For a moment, he wished there was something he could do to comfort his mother until he felt her pull away. Jin sat up as well and turned fully to face his mother.

He smiled weakly at her.

Jun's face softened into fear at the slight grin her son gave her.

"Tell me more," he said, his smile growing.

"He hurt me, Jin," she replied softly.

"How so?" His mother looked down at her hands, which were now folded on her lap. Her shoulders hunched up as she began weeping softly to herself, and her hands tightened into tight fists. Jin's smile faded, and he stood up on his knees to lean into his mother. He gingerly placed a hand on her shoulder.

She looked up, "No matter what, you're my son. I love you," she said between quiet sobs. She placed a hand on her son's cheek and gave him a pained smile through her tears. Jin put a hand over he one that rested on his face and looked at his mother, confused.

"I love you too," he said quietly. He hesitated then hugged Jun, and she wept in his arms.

"I want to see you grow up and start your own family. I want you to be happy," she chuckled as she laid on her head on her son's shoulder. She clung desperately to the boy.

They were both silent for what felt like an eternity. He rocked his mother like she was the child and he her father. Then he looked forward at the towers of cardboard that enclosed them, suddenly remembering that where they sat would no longer be home. 

There was a feeling a fear now, and it gnawed at the pit of the boy's stomach. What his mother just said bothered him. There had always been an air of unhappiness and ill-ease in their household, yet now the bottled up anger his mother carried had finally been opened. And with it, the boy could sense a shame that she held. His grip around the older woman tightened, and he felt his own eyes tearing up. It felt like he was going to see her for the last time, yet it wasn't supposed to be goodbye. At least not between the two of them.

"We'll be happier in America" he assured. "Everything will get better."

"Not for me," she whispered.

That had been years ago, and now Jin was showing the same cryptic emotions to his lover that his mother had to him. Once he walked into that temple that next evening, he knew that he would never see Julia again.

Happiness. He had finally found it, he thought. A stable, loving family, even if it was just his elderly grandfather, friends, a real home, someone to wake up to in the morning. All those had added up to this feeling of completion he had gained after Jun's death. He opened his eyes and smiled down at the younger girl in his arms. Such a short time, and then everything was going to change in the morning. The young man sighed heavily and hugged Julia again. She clung back.

"Jules?" he began softly. He sat up, and the girl did the same. "I need you to promise something for me." Jin smiled fondly at her when her eyes met his, and he stood up and stretched, then he then bent over to gather his clothes to dress.

She frowned, "What is it?"

"Live," he said as he straightened up and pulled his t-shirt over his head.

"What?"

"After all this is over, live. Enjoy life." Julia frowned, and she swung over the side of the bed and grabbed her clothes.

"You are _not_ dying," she repeated sternly. "I hate how morbid you are." She turned away, got out of bed, and stood up to pull on her jeans, and she was silent for the rest of the time she dressed, upset. He finished putting on his clothes before she did and smirked as she hastily finished up. He sat back down on the bed, rested his hand on his cheek, and continued to watch her, something he could do forever. He loved it when she was mad at him.

When she finally sat down to put back on her sneakers, she glanced over the older boy and noticed the lopsided grin he was wearing as he gazed at her. She rolled her eyes and chuckled, then kneeled to tie her shoes.

"You're so weird," Julia sighed as she straightened up.

"Thank you," he smiled. He looked out towards the windows again. By then, the moon had risen and was casting a pale, blue glow over everything. Beyond the beveled glass, fireflies danced and winked like the stars above in the sky. Jin's smile grew as he watched the bugs float, glad he had decided to spend the night there.

He had stayed in his mother's room that night. They laid out on the floor of the empty room on blankets. His head rested on the softness of the thin white satin on his mother's otherwise bare breasts, and she held him close to her. The room was lit only by the light of the window, and the pale squares of ghostly light cast down on the mother and son as they waited for morning. Outside, the snow still fell.

"His name was Kazuya," she said. Jin remained silent and nuzzled up against his mother's chest. "I barely knew him." He closed his eyes when he felt her fingers playing with his hair. Despite wanting to smile, he didn't and instead, he turned his head to kiss the bit of exposed flesh on his mother's bosom then lifted his head to kiss her on the forehead. His arms now were propped on either side of the older woman, and he looked down at her, his dark eyes urging her to finish.

She continued to lovingly stroke his hair as she stared up at him, "We hardly spoke to each other before then, and then that night..." Jun glanced over at the window that was softly lighting the room. "I was so afraid. I couldn't scream, I couldn't cry, I...I..." Tears started to roll down the sides of her face, and she looked back up at Jin, ashamed. "I'm...I'm sorry."

The gnawing on his stomach came back when he realized the meaning of what his mother had just said, and the corner of his mouth twitched. 

"You said he was gone," he said in a low whisper, his face stoic and alarmingly placid. "What does that mean?"

"He's dead." She smiled weakly up at the boy laying on top of her, then glanced away again. The feeling he got when at last looked him in the eye again. He had never seen her look that way before; her lips and cheeks were ruddy from her crying, though there was a deceivingly peaceful smile curling across her lips. He glanced down at her body, which was only covered by the white nightgown she was wearing, and suddenly realized how attractive his mother was. Jin felt a grin crack on his face, and he started chuckling softly to himself at the perverse thoughts that were running rampant through his mind. Under any other circumstances, he would had been wholly ashamed for the reasons behind his smile, yet that night, everything was different. Finally, his mother was opening up to him, even if it did meant opening old wounds she had long tried to heal. 

He pressed down on top of her and brushed his lips against hers before fully kissing her. To Jin's surprised, she didn't pull away and smack him, like he completely expected her to do. Instead she was still until he pulled away himself and looked down at her; the older woman's lips were parted and swollen, and her eyes, confused. He leaned down and kissed her once more. This time, however, her lips parted and welcomed him, and he gently forced his tongue into her mouth. She responded greedily with the same passionate gesture.

"So what now?" Jin asked as he stood up again. He smiled over at Julia and playfully lifted a brow at her.

"You tell me." Her back was to him, and it was obvious that she was still upset about everything he had said and his rather chipper attitude. 

"I wanna see what that temple looks like up close."

The younger girl turned around, astounded. 

"You can't be serious," she groaned. "It's dark now, and we're not going to be able to find a guide, Jin--" She frowned, sighed heavily, and shook her head in defeat. "I forgot, this is you I'm talking to."

"I know," he laughed. "I'm insane. You tell me that at least twice a day now." 

She managed a weak grin, "Not just insane, but fucking insane." Jin lifted his brow again and this time, came over and grabbed her by the waist. She yelped when he hugged her from behind and lifted her to twirl her around. 

"I like being fucking insane then." She laughed a bit when Jin finally set her back on the ground. It was an uneasy laughter though, and Jin felt it. He hugged her again and nuzzled against Julia's neck as a sign of reassurance before pulling away to open the door for her.

They ended up having to walk in the dark, as Julia had dreaded. The weather was humid, and outside, the locals sat out on their porches, some singing across the street at each other, and the brightly lit bars had suddenly blossomed with life and color after nightfall. Jin grinned as he and Julia strolled through the small town that they were staying in. There was an overly friendliness that he was enjoying about everyone there, even if he could barely understand the Spanish; Julia would sometimes translate what they were saying, since she spoke the language far better than he. Occasionally, she even recognized a song and sang quietly along.

"Louder," Jin chuckled when she sang one particularly heartfelt ballad. She stopped and blushed.

"I didn't realize you were listening."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

In the distance, the weathered step pyramid that Jin always vaguely referred to those days loomed, onmious even in the the dark. And the further away the couple walked, the little houses and shops began to spread further and further apart until there was nothing but road and the occasional tiny villa. As they walked, he held her hand and spoke of the weather and of their travels. She was silent most of the time

He mentioned finally, "I'm sorry we didn't get to go to Japan during the fall. I really wanted you to see the mountain shrines in the snow, the trees changing color--"

"--We'll go this November after Thanksgiving."

His response was a grin, and Jin hugged her

She leaned into him as they walked, "After this is over, we'll have all the time in the world, right?" There was still was no verbal response from Jin. In fact, his smile was gone and he stopped walking and just held Julia.

"God, stop it!" she screamed as she pushed him away. "You're not fucking dying, Jin Kazama! You're not!" She started beating him on the chest. "You're not!" Her eyes teared up as she hit him repeatedly before she pulled away and stormed ahead. She didn't get far, however, before she dropped to her knees and hunched over, sobbing. He walked over to her silently kneeled down behind her to hug her.

When she felt his arms around him, she clung to him.

"If you die on me," she chuckled between tears as he rocked her, "I swear, I'll never forgive you."

The sounds of heavy footsteps thumping loudly throughout the small house had been the only thing that pulled them apart. Jin sat up and pulled away to let his mother do the same, and they both looked towards the door, eyes wide from fear. The slow, rhythmic thumps would crescendo and decrescendo as they went past the door. Jun glanced over at her son then at the window.

"Go," she mouthed then pointed to the window. The footsteps became louder and louder before stopping. Jin shook his head at the older woman and then looked back at the door. The two sat rigidly, waiting for the intruder to open the door or leave.

Several minutes passed as they waited, both afraid to move or speak. She stood up however, and and gestured for Jin to do the same; he obeyed quickly. She grabbed his hand then crept cautiously towards the door. She then gingerly held the doorknob and turned it. She then slowly pulled the door opened and peeked out.

There was nothing outside the door, and she turned and nodded at Jin. The two then slipped out the doorway and carefully headed down the hall to the living room where all their belongings were stacked. Jun stopped at an untaped box and pulled out a grey hooded sweatshirt of Jin's and handed it to him, then made her way over to the front door. Jin pulled the shirt over his head and bare chest then joined his mother at the door. The older woman pressed a finger to her lips as she stared coolly at her son. He nodded at her again before shoving his feet into his sneakers that were at by the door.

She opened the door for him, and after the boy stepped out, she leaned in the doorway.

"Go," she mouthed again.

"Go where?" he whispered backed. His eyes widened after he said that. Behind his mother, a silhouette loomed over her, red fiery eyes burning in the dark mass that was towering over Jun. She frowned at the change in her son's face and turned around slowly. Her own eyes became full of fright at what she saw. Then she turned back to her son and shoved him away from the house.

"Go!" she cried before she ran back inside, slamming the door behind her.

Jin stumbled a bit from being shoved but turned back towards the little home, but before he could enter it, it exploded into the blue flames. The sudden detonation sent debris flying everywhere, including the front door. It slammed into Jin, sending the boy flying back into the snow covered street. He hit his head on the concrete.

He tried to sit up, yet he was fighting to keep conscious, and his vision blurred and refocused constantly as he struggled. The azure fire before him burned silently and was isolated; the houses that surrounded the home were untouched. And as his eyes began to feel heavy, Jin tried to sit up one last time. He saw his mother emerging from the flames and running desperately towards him, only to see inhumanly large and muscular arm reach out and grab her, pulling her back into the inferno. Jin wanted to scream; however, he passing out entirely.

The warmth of sunlight on his eyelids was what awoke Jin finally, and he sat up, alarmed to see that he was sitting in a hospital bed. The door to his room was opened, and the doctors and orderlies scurried about in and out of Jin's view. He waited patiently.

No one came for him.

"I never said I was," he replied; he kissed Julia on the forehead and hugged her tighter. "I'm just saying--"

"--I know, I know." She hugged again and buried her face in his chest. "I just don't understand. You could avoid all this. I don't want this to be the end."

Jin pulled away and sat down on the road next to Julia; he looked out ahead at the forested land that was still was a ways ahead. The dark horizon was feathered out against the navy sky, and he could still see a few fireflies floating about, though nearly time for the tiny flies to flicker out. 

"Someone once told me that they hated my smile," he said.

"I have a hard time believing that," Julia sniffed once and turned to face Jin. "I...love your smile. Especially that little cute gap between your two front teeth." She managed to grin and nudged him. Jin smiled lightly and nudged Julia back then looked out ahead again.

"Jules?"

"Yeah?" She sniffed again and wiped eyes with her palm.

He looked over at her and smiled painfully, "Thanks."

"Don't say that." She looked out at the black silhouettes of the trees and the pyramid. "Thanksgiving, you'll take me to Okinawa. You said that was your favorite out of all the places you lived." She pulled her knees up to her chest. "We can spend Christmas up there, too." Her voice was tapering off as she began to doubt herself.

"I don't think I could go back there now," he murmured. "I never really got to tell my mother goodbye before I left Okinawa." Julia turned her gazed slowly towards Jin, and she wrapped an arm around him. She pressed his head against her chest as he finally started crying silently.

They watched the sunrise from there, beautiful, exotic foliage spilt out far beyond them and the menancing stone temple that was barely concealed by the brilliant glowing hues of red and gold as the morning sun rose behind the trees. For a moment, Julia found it hard to believe that this was all only a few hundred miles from where she and Jin lived, something so different from what they had made their world. She rested her head against his shoulder they stood, and the birds started singing again that morning. They walked back together slowly, clinging to each other. 

There was no reason for urgency now, not when saying goodbye.

END

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~Half of this story was a bet (I'm sure which parts are pretty obvious). However, I ended up liking it. Sorry if it offended anyone, but hey. I figured any of the few people that have bothered to read any of my writing know how I work, so blah. Any flames are gladly accepted :3~.


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